The family of a girl in Ohio is reeling after she went missing. For a week, members of the community teamed up with police to search for her. But this week, the search has ended. Keimani Latigue was found dead in an abandoned house. Now, her father faces charges for her murder.
Keimani Latigue’s body was found on Monday, March 24, 2025, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office confirmed, WTVG reported. The teen was just days away from her 14th birthday. As authorities went in and out of an abandoned building in Toledo, dozens of people were gathered outside. One of those people was Keimani’s mother, Tiara Kasten.
“I just want to know if it’s my baby. They’re still not telling me nothing,” she told the news outlet at the time. “It’s nothing to take a picture. It’s nothing to let me know when the coroner bringing her out so I can see if that’s indeed my baby. You’re not saying nothing.”
Kasten expressed confusion about where the body was found. She claims that her daughter only ever went to school, to play basketball, or home. Allegedly, the last time they spoke was on March 15. “Her dad brought her down to my house. Apparently my mother gave him permission and honestly it was just loving on my kid. We play video games,” Kasten explained.
According to police, Keimani’s father, Darnell Jones, was the last person to see her alive. Hours before her body was found, Keimani’s father was charged with abduction.
But after her body was found, Toledo Police announced he would be charged with murder. A manhunt ensued as police searched for Jones. An affidavit said that in addition to being the last person to see the girl, he gave inconsistent statements about what he did with the girl and her whereabouts. Additionally, phone and video surveillance were factors.
“I came over here because she said that it seemed like somebody was trying to break into the house. Me and my cousin sat over here for an hour and we left around 12:30 ish,” he told WTVG shortly after his daughter’s disappearance.
But Keimani’s grandmother suspected foul play from the beginning. Speaking with WTVG, she said that when she got home on the morning of Monday, March 17, Keimani wasn’t home, but her keys and glasses were there. Apparently, the girl couldn’t see without her glasses. She also claimed the stove was on and she could smell gas.
“Other than her and I, it’s just two dogs in the house. So, who cut it on? So that was kind of suspicious. Her glasses in her underclothes were by the couch in the front. Her pajamas were on the dining room floor,” Dorothy Latigue said.
Around 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, police shot Darnell Jones after a confrontation where he pulled out a gun, WTVG reported. The confrontation took place in Columbus, Ohio. Jones was taken to the hospital and is stable. He is being charged with felonious assault — assault on a peace officer.
“This is one of the most horrific case I’ve ever heard of,” Fraternal Order of Police official Brian Steel told WTVG. “This is a 14-year-old who was murdered, raped, had her hands cut off and her throat almost cut off.”
A woman believed to be Keimani’s teacher posted on Facebook the day the girl’s body was discovered, asserting that she was aware of alleged abuse and tried to get help for Keimani, calling out child services for allegedly ignoring multiple reports made on Keimani’s behalf. The teacher also commented on a number of other posts about Keimani’s death, detailing evidence of the abuse.
WTVG reported that the coroner’s office released the results of Keimani Latigue’s autopsy. The girl died of multiple “incised wounds of the neck.” Her death is being considered a homicide.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
